Saturday Excerpt

“Let me tell you the details,” Anvar told him.  “The Red Sapphire has been around since before time began.  Whenever evil gained supremacy in the world, the stone would find a new champion to wield its power.  He would use its might to take up the fight for those who could not defend themselves.

“Such vast amounts of magic could that person dispense that he could ravage lands, lay waste to armies and strike down those who would oppress.  It was just as the staff told you, ‘One can save many; one can make all the difference.”

“The last time the gem was seen was at the end of the last dark age.  As you know, there were no written records at the time, but the last story I heard told was that the bearer was so powerful that he could even fly!  In the final climactic battle, he used the magic at his command to drop a mountain on an opposing army, utterly destroying it.”

“A mountain?” Linvin said in disbelief.  “That sounds quite ridiculous.”

“Well,” Anvar said, “if you consider that the stories were told for hundreds of years, from one fireside to another, there was undoubtedly some exaggeration.  Consider that if only the smallest measure of the stories were true, the power you seek could affect the course of world events.  However, it may be that the power you seek could be used to serve a darker purpose, with a different master.  Should a person of a diabolical nature gain such power, it could prove to be the end of our world as we know it.”

“The staff and stone know who they want to use them.  They know that to effectively use that power, the bearer would have to be brave, powerful, intelligent, pure of heart and well-schooled in military and world affairs.  Such a man would even need to be wise in the ways of commerce.  Through such a man, the power of the Red Sapphire would be most utilized for the greater good.  How many men can you think of that match all of those criteria?  I can only think of you, my boy.

“So I ask you, after all that I have said, do you still doubt that this destiny has been laid before you?”

Linvin rubbed his chin and paused, “But it was ultimately my choice to go on this quest.”

“Indeed it was,” agreed Anvar.  “There will always be a choice.  The doorway may be placed before you, but only you can step inside.  It is what you do with this opportunity that falls into the realm ~ of choice.  You could have chosen to conceal yourself from your would-be assailants, but you chose to embrace your destiny.”

“So you are saying that everything happens for a reason, but I am the one who must figure that reason out and choose to act on it?” Linvin asked.

Anvar sifted the summation through his mind and said, “That is correct.  Destiny and choice mean nothing without one another.  If an opportunity is there, but you choose not to take advantage, then where are you?  Likewise, if you are prepared and willing to do something, but the opportunity never appears, then once again you are nowhere. Aren’t preparation and opportunity coming together the real meaning of luck?  So as a comment about your first statement, it was indeed luck that we have the staff.”